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All Rise...

Appellate Judge Rob Lineberger appreciates the fine Danish carpentry and mod '70s fashion that distracted him during the mediocre sex.

The Charge

Sooner or later…every father must face the day his "little
girl" becomes a woman…

Opening Statement

Retro-Seduction has hit a rich vein lately by releasing obscure Joe Sarno
films packed with commentaries, interviews, and carefully written liner notes.
An antidote to the slick, plastic, emotionally vacant flicks that pass for
softcore, Sarno's work explores complicated psychosexual relationships that
power his erotic action. No relationship is more psychosexual than that of a
single father with a buxom, sexually repressed, and isolated teenaged daughter.
Retro-Seduction, Sarno, incest…is this a certain softcore hit?

Facts of the Case

Katja (Helli Louise, The Ups and Downs of a Handyman) and her
oft-traveling father Eric (Ole Wisborg, Reptilicus) live together in
relative isolation. Though Eric and Katja have deep affection for each other and
he does the best he can to provide for her, his frequent absences have left
Katja both self-sufficient and sheltered. Her sexual awakening will not go
smoothly, and it comes at a particularly bad time…just as Eric is marrying
his secret lover, Svea (Gio Petré, Fanny Hill).

The Evidence

Sarno made his name by firmly rooting his erotica in an emotional context. To
detractors, this navel gazing element (which manifests itself in extended
conversations, pensive walks along the water, penetrating glances into the
mirror, and heartfelt sighs) is melodrama at best and pretentious filler at
worst. To Sarno, the interludes are as important as the action. If you just want
to see lots of skin and a sight gag or generic bar scene for a change of pace (a
la most Skinemax flicks of the early '90s), Sarno films will be like watching
paint dry.

To his fans, Sarno's approach to softcore is a revelation, an uncompromising
voice of reason in a boring sea of plastic bodies and dispassionate writhing.
You can count on Sarno to write audacious erotic prose and then make his actors
deliver it with deadpan, almost clinical, seriousness. You can count on Sarno to
let the camera linger, not cut away every half second in an artificial frenzy.
You can count on Sarno to find ravishing unknowns and put their natural assets
to good use. In other words, you can count on his good taste in a genre
fundamentally lacking good taste.

Daddy, Darling pushes many of Sarno's signatures to their extremes.
For example, what human relationship is more psychosexual than a blossoming
young woman lusting for her handsome, widowed father? In other hands, such a
topic could be interpreted as a free pass to sink into exploitation or
depravity. Just look at Jerry Springer, for example ("Daddies who
Do" at 11!). But Sarno takes the high road. Daddy, Darling is an
honest exploration of burgeoning sexuality. Young Katja makes modest, then
serious, advances towards her father and vents her frustration in
non-clichéd ways. There are no depraved sex parties here, no madcap spirals
into drugs and prostitution. Instead, Katja takes up art and asks for her father
to have patience with her. She is frustrated because Daddy does not take the
bait. Eric is nothing but loving and considerate towards Katja, though his
concern is evident. He never rebuffs her, but clearly lets her know that her
behavior is inappropriate. Instead, Eric makes time with his lover, Svea.

If you're thinking this doesn't sound like much of a softcore romp,
then…you're right.

Daddy, Darling is played straight—much like Moonlighting Wives, which has no sex
at all. The problem here is that Daddy, Darling is so provocatively
pitched. The DVD cover proclaims that it "nicely exemplifies both the
limits and the possibilities of softcore erotica." The film was even
self-Rated X in its initial run. For the life of me I cannot see why. Daddy,
Darling has an atypically brief scene with Katja staring at her
voluptuousness in the mirror; such scenes in Sarno's work are typically long
enough to drink in the sights and project some deep thoughts into the heroine's
mind. There's the pivotal "incest halluctination," which is set to
stark bongo drums, shot in slow motion, and cut more than most of Sarno's work.
The rest of the sex scenes, which are admittedly frequent, are dark, unfocused,
and more jumpy that they should be. Nothing here pushes the erotic envelope like
Laura's Toys, which features unfussy
editing, nasty talk, and real orgasms—and truly does exemplify the limits
of softcore.

Perhaps expectations are to blame, and perhaps Daddy, Darling will
play better the second time, but I was frustrated by the departures from Sarno's
usual erotic mastery and uncompelled by the psychodrama. The movie is of higher
purpose than Sarno's other work, and gains point for that…but if so, the
marketing should tone town the tawdry element and focus on the artistic aims. As
it stands, the eroticism in Daddy, Darling is a poor interpretation of
Radley Metzger's work and far below Sarno's usual achievement.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

Nevertheless, Daddy, Darling has capable acting and camerawork in its
favor. Helli Louise and the supporting actors are stilted-but-serviceable while
Ole Wisborg and Gio Petré shine. They express themes and emotions subtly
through body language and eye movement. They are adults trapped in the maelstrom
of teenage emotions who simply want to explore their own relationship.

Mikael Salomon provides impressive cinematography on a shoestring. From
tasteful crane shots to telling compositions, the camerawork is sure throughout.
In his interview (aside from extensive liner notes, the sole extra), Sarno lauds
Salomon's work without reservation. He has pleasant words for his partner and
editor in the production, Kenn Collins, but to my ear Sarno is saying that he
would have edited the sex scenes differently.

Retro-Seduction takes great pains to disclaim the video and audio quality of
this disc. Critics like myself are to blame for this caution, but in this case
it is appropriate: the print looks well-worn. In fact, it has badly deteriorated
and they've done what they can to salvage it, but do not expect a light and
sound show.

Closing Statement

On the whole, Daddy, Darling is another treat for Sarno completists in
that it features a nice interview and well-researched liner notes while
preserving an endangered Sarno film. Erotica is very personal. This one didn't
tickle my bone, but if you buy into the innuendo-laden daddy-daughter vibe it
might work for you. In any case, Retro-Seduction earns applause for continuing
to seek out "lost" Sarno films and bring them to DVD.